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Accommodations: Parkhotel Luna Mondschein or similar After breakfast, learn about the History of South Tyrol during exclusive Discovery Series discussion that spans from the Middle Ages to modern life in this part of Northern Italy. Then set off on a walking tour in the company of an expert local guide introducing you to Bolzano's Austrian and Italian influences. Since medieval times, Bolzano has been a staging point on the route south through the Brenner Pass to Rome. In the Old Town Center, see vivid examples of Bolzano's Germanic Gothic history. Visit the Duomo, a 14th-century wonder featuring remarkable frescoes, and stroll the pedestrian-only Piazza Walther. You'll also enjoy a tasting at a local pub which cold brews their beers in the traditional German style. This afternoon, enjoy an afternoon to make your own discoveries in Bolzano. Perhaps you'll visit one of the city's museums, such as the Museum of Modern Art, or the Museum of Natural History. You may also choose to visit the open-air market. Or, join us for an optional excursion to Renon Mountain, which rises over Bolzano. You'll reach the mountain by cable car, taking in panoramic views of the city and surrounding areas.

Continue by train to a nearby village where you'll have time to explore the town and learn more about local life. Then you'll continue to Unterrin for dinner in a local gasthof (tavern). Day 12 View Extension Itinerary Treasures of Tuscany - $125/person Discover the rare beauty of Tuscany—from rolling hills dotted with vineyards, medieval towns, and sun-drenched castles, to delicious Tuscan dishes served with a glass of robust Chianti—on this optional morning tour. You’ll begin in the medieval hill town of San Gimignano, known as the “Town of Towers,” with free time to explore the narrow cobblestone streets twisting inside the walls of this quaint town. Then, travel through the marvelous Chianti wine country to the Castello Oliveto manor house, where you’ll take a tour of this magnificent 15th-century residence and its ancient wine cellar and enjoy an included lunch. Siena - $125/person On this full-day optional tour, you’ll explore the medieval walled city of Siena, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

This hilltop city once rivaled Florence in wealth and power, and you’ll witness the lasting legacy of this golden age on a guided tour that takes in the Piazza del Campo—dominated by the soaring tower of Siena’s Town Hall—and the Siena Cathedral, a marvelous marble structure whose interior is adorned with the work of Italian masters from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance. Then, enjoy free time to explore the winding, automobile-free streets of the Old City on your own before an included lunch at a local trattoria. Renon Mountain Tour & Tavern Dinner - $100/person Join us as we discover Renon Mountain, which rises high above Bolzano. You’ll reach the mountain by cable car, taking in panoramic views of the city and surrounding vistas. Continue by train to a nearby village where you'll have time to explore the town and learn more about local life. Then you'll continue to Unterrin for dinner in a local gasthof (tavern). Please note: Cable car may not operate on all departures. In this case, you will make the transfer by motorcoach. Innsbruck - $145/person Visit the capital city of Tyrol during this full-day optional tour to Innsbruck.

Deriving its name from the Inn River, this historic city is flanked by the jagged Alps on all sides. You’ll travel over the Brenner Pass, and via the Europabrucke, the tallest road bridge in Europe. Enjoy a walking tour of the Old Town’s quaint streets, and the Market Square, with its 15th- and 16th-century houses. The tour will be rounded out by lunch in a local restaurant followed by free time to explore on your own. Hotel Victoria Located in the heart of Rome overlooking the Villa Borghese Park, this Superior-First-Class hotel is the perfect place to relax after exploring the city. Perhaps you’ll take advantage of the indoor and outdoor pools, or health club, or enjoy views from the panoramic terrace. The hotel’s on-site restaurant, the Belisario, is known for its regional Italian cuisine. Your air-conditioned room features a TV, wireless Internet access, and refrigerator. The Complete Guide To: Tuscany | The Independent Europe The Complete Guide To: Tuscany Start with the exquisite art, museums and churches, then relish the cuisine and epic countryside.

Jonathan Buckley highlights the best of the quintessential Italian region Saturday 28 February 2009 00:00 BST Click to follow The Complete Guide To: Tuscany 1/6 AFP/Getty Images Where do I start? All roads in Tuscany lead to Florence, the region's biggest city and one of Europe's premier tourist magnets. You could spend a fortnight here and still not see every one of the masterpieces to be found in Florence's museums and churches. The Uffizi gallery (00 39 055 294 883; firenzemusei.it ), Italy's most popular art collection, will take you the best part of a day. It opens from 8.15am-6.50pm daily, except Monday.

You can reserve tickets (booking fee €4) by phoning 00 39 05 294 883 (Mon–Fri 8.30am–6.30pm, Sat 8.30am–12.30pm), or through the museum's website, or at its booth at Orsanmichele (10am–5.30pm daily except Sunday), or at the Uffizi itself; online booking and the Orsanmichele booth are the best bets. You can also sample the colossal art collection of the Palazzo Pitti, the sculptures of the Bargello, the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo, the Accademia (as with the Uffizi, pre-booking is essential, because everyone wants to see Michelangelo's David), the amazing frescoes of Santa Croce, Santa Maria Novella, Santa Maria del Carmine, San Marco and Santissima Annunziata.

Details from the city's main tourist office at Via Cavour 1 (00 39 055 290 832; firenze.turismo.toscana.it), which opens 8.30am-6.30pm daily (Sundays to 1pm). Oh, and you can't miss the Duomo and Baptistery, of course, and you'd be mad to leave Florence without visiting San Lorenzo (the mausoleum of the Medici), and Santo Spirito and Santa Trinita and Santa Felìcita. Then there's the stupendous San Miniato (the finest Romanesque church in Tuscany), and Castagno's The Last Supper ... I get the picture. But where next? The obvious second stop is Siena. If Florence is primarily about the Renaissance, in Siena it's the medieval period that predominates. And here the cityscape itself is the great attraction. You can have a fabulous time here without setting foot in a single museum: arrayed on three ridges, the city presents a succession of beautiful urban vistas, girdled by superb countryside on all sides.

There's no more beautiful public space in all of Italy then Siena's Il Campo, the city's great scallop-shaped piazza; and the nearby Duomo is one of the country's mightiest monuments. Which is not to say that it doesn't have any first-rank museums: to get the measure of Sienese art you must visit the Museo Civico, inside the magnificent Gothic Palazzo Pubblico (00 39 057 729 2226; open from 10am to 7pm daily in summer, admission €7.50). You could also visit the Pinacoteca Nazionale and the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo; the tourist office (which is open daily from 9am-7pm; 00 39 05 77 28 05 51; terresiena.it) can give you full details. Give yourself time to explore the city at leisure: pedestrianised Siena is an easy-going contrast to frenetic Florence, except when the lunacy of the Palio is happening.

This hell-for-leather bareback horse-race – Italy's most celebrated festival – takes place on 2 July and 16 August. If you want to be in town for it, book your accommodation now. The Grand Hotel Continental is centrally located and doubles start at €220 room only (Banchi di Sopra 85; 00 39 057 756 011; royaldemeure.com). Any other must-see cities? Plenty. Pisa, for instance, has much more to offer than just the Leaning Tower. The tower is a remarkable thing, certainly, but it's just a single component of the amazing Campo dei Miracoli, where the Duomo, Baptistery and Camposanto complete an unrivalled quartet of medieval masterpieces. For information on Pisa, call 00 39 050 929 777 or visit pisa.turismo.

toscana.it ahead of time, or contact the tourist office on the north side of the station at Piazza Vittorio Emanuele 13 (Mon–Fri 9am–7pm, Sat 9am–1.30pm) or in the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo (open daily 10am-5pm). Though the medieval core of the city is inundated with coach parties, the rest of the town is ignored by most visitors, which is a pity, as it has several fine churches and museums, and lots of fine restaurants too. For authentic Pisan home cooking, nowhere's better than San Omobono, Piazza San Omobono 6 (00 39 050 540 847), featuring dishes such as brachette alla renaiaola – pasta in a purée of greens and smoked fish. To capture something of the atmosphere of the 19th-century Grand Tour, head for the Royal Victoria (lungarno Pacinotti 12, 00 39 050 940 111; royalvictoria.it).

Run by the same family since its foundation in 1837, this old-fashioned and appealingly frayed three-star is the most characterful of central Pisa's hotels – and the best value. Doubles start at €100 including breakfast. The big university gives Pisa a buzz, but it's a bit too gritty for some. Neighbouring Lucca, on the other hand, is graceful without being dull, with a largely traffic-free centre that's strewn with handsome buildings – you can hardly walk for five minutes without coming upon a small piazza and marble-fronted church facade. Lucca isn't a major stop on the tourist trail, but its limited accommodation is always in demand, so it's wise to book ahead at any time of year. First choice is Palazzo Busdraghi, Via Fillungo 170 (00 39 05 83 95 08 56; apalazzo busdraghi.it), a tiny and central four-star hotel, richly furnished with fine antiques. In summer, you won't pay less than €200 for a double room, including breakfast. An ideal hill town?

The one that everybody knows is San Gimignano, a village that, thanks mainly to its famous towers, receives far more day-trippers in summer than it can comfortably handle – at peak times the police impose a one-way pedestrian system in the narrow lanes. That said, the fresco-lined Collegiata is definitely worth coming to see, and San Gimignano also has one of Tuscany's best civic museums. The popularity of Cortona has similarly become something of an issue in recent years. This perfect hill-town, located within sight of Lago Trasimeno – was relatively unknown prior to the publication of Frances Mayes' Under the Tuscan Sun and Bella Tuscany; nowadays the place entices coachloads of her readers to the place where Mayes realized the expatriate dream of the Tuscan good life. If it's quiet that you want, why not try instead lofty Volterra, west of San Gimignano? Brooding on a windswept plateau enclosed by volcanic hills, it was described by D H Lawrence as "a sort of inland island," and has an air of being somewhat cut off from the rest of the region.

Like Cortona, it was a major Etruscan settlement, and the town's museum are stuffed with relics of that enigmatic civilisation. The classic hill-towns, though, lie south of Siena. One of the highest, Montepulciano, is built along a narrow ridge, with a long main street and alleys that drop away to the walls. Endowed with dozens of palazzi and churches during the Renaissance, it fell into neglect in subsequent centuries, and today makes most of its money from its wine industry, based on the famed Vino Nobile. Its tourist profile becomes higher with each passing year, though, and the same goes for tiny Pienza, 20km to the west of Montalcino. As perfect a Renaissance creation as any in Italy, Pienza was built by Pope Pius II on the site of the village where he was born in 1405. Though Pius's scheme didn't progress much beyond the central piazza, few places in Tuscany have as much immediate charm.

And it has a very nice hotel, the three-star Il Chiostro di Pienza, Corso Rossellino 26 (open from 30 March; 00 39 0578 748 400; relaisilchiostrodipienza.com), an extremely chi-chi conversion of the old cloister and other parts of a former Franciscan monastery. The third gorgeous hill-town in this zone of Tuscany is Montalcino, a quiet, likeable and affluent little place that has scarcely changed in appearance since the 16th century. It looks wonderful from below, and when you're up by the castle the view of the surrounding hills, vineyards, orchards, olive groves and ancient oaks is equally lovely. It has few specific sights, but makes an excellent base for the exploration of southern Tuscany, as it lies within easy striking distance of such sights as the great abbeys of Monte Oliveto and Sant'Antimo.

It's also the source of one of Italy's finest wines, Brunello di Montalcino, which can be sampled at the Fattoria dei Barbi (open daily 10am-1pm, 2.30-6pm, closed weekend mornings; 00 39 0577 841 111; fattoriadeibarbi.it), 7km southeast of Montalcino on the Sant'Antimo road. Talking of wine – what's Chianti like? There's some justice to the "Chiantishire" tag. Foreign residents might account for only five per cent of Chianti's 45,000 inhabitants, but tourism has overtaken wine to become the region's most important cash crop, and has helped push property prices in Chianti's medieval hamlets beyond the reach of many of the locals – a lot of the houses are shuttered up in the off-season. There is, nonetheless, much to enjoy in Chianti: quiet back roads, hundreds of acres of woodland, and of course the vineyards.

Perhaps the best target is Greve in Chianti, venue for the region's biggest wine fair: the Rassegna del Chianti Classico, usually held during the second week in September. It is a place that has wine for sale seemingly on every street: the Cantine di Greve in Chianti, at Galleria delle Cantine 2, claims to have an unrivalled selection of Chianti Classico wines. It's an attractive little town u o focused on the funnel-shaped Piazza Matteotti, where the Saturday morning market is held. A couple of three-star hotels on Piazza Matteotti offer comfortable accommodation. One is the Del Chianti at number 86, open weekends from 6 March and every day from 20 March; doubles from €90 including breakfast (00 39 055 853 763; albergodelchianti.it).

The other is Da Verrazzano at number 28; doubles including breakfast from €103, though if you want an en-suite bathroom it will cost you €15 more (00 39 055 853 189; albergoverrazzano. it); this hotel also has an extremely good restaurant. The best of Chianti's countryside lies to the south of here, in the Monti del Chianti – once the stronghold of the medieval military alliance known as Lega di Chianti. The ancient Etruscan-founded town of Radda in Chianti became the Lega's capital in 1384, and the imprint of the period is perhaps stronger here than anywhere else in the area. The Relais Vignale, on the edge of the village at Via Pianigiani 9 (00 39 05 777 38012; vignale.it), has a wine bar in the cellars, two restaurants and a heated swimming pool. Chianti is also prime agriturismo territory, with scores of farms offering rooms or apartments, or even self-contained mini-villas.

You'll find a good choice of properties at the following websites: agriturismo.net, agriturismo.it and tiny.cc/6zbgM. Shore things? There are decent beaches on the Tuscan island of Elba: the isle stretches a maximum of 30km from coast to coast. The permanent population numbers a mere 30,000 inhabitants, spread throughout the island in picturesque coastal and mountain villages and a handful of larger towns. It has to be said, though, that Tuscany's mainland coast is often unalluring. Livorno, the largest place by the sea, is a fairly grim port. And though there's some fine sand at Viareggio – Tuscany's major resort – the best bits have been appropriated by the seaside hotels that overlook the palm-lined promenade. One portion of the Tuscan coast, however, remains unspoiled: the Monti dell'Uccellina, or "Mountains of the Little Bird", which take their name from birds that use these hills as a stepping-stone between Europe and North Africa.

Rising suddenly from the coastal plain, about 12km south of Grosseto, this breathtaking piece of countryside combines cliffs, coastal marsh, macchia, forest-covered hills, pristine beaches and some of the most beautiful stands of umbrella pines in the country. Devoid of the bars, marinas, hotels and half-finished houses that have destroyed much of the Italian littoral, it's perhaps the most peaceful corner of Tuscany. And finally – how about an open-air hot tub? Tuscany has numerous spa towns. The most celebrated are Montecatini and Monsummano, west of Florence. These places offer a plenitude of treatments, many of them pricey, but you can give yourself a bit of a pampering without spending a single euro if you head for Saturnia, deep in the south of Tuscany, where sulphurous hot springs burst out of the ground. Alternatively, go to Bagno Vignoni, where the village square is mostly taken up by a spring-fed stone-lined pool. You're no longer allowed to bathe in it, but you can wallow in the muddy sulphur pools at the foot of the cliff at which the village ends.

Jonathan Buckley is co-author of the new 'Rough Guide to Florence and the Best of Tuscany' and 'The Rough Guide to Tuscany and Umbria'. For more details see roughguides.com The best of Tuscan walking North of Arezzo stretches the upper valley of the Arno, an area known as the Casentino. This lush and largely largely agricultural area sees few tourists, even though much of the area has been designated a national park. The most attractive town is tiny Poppi, which is dominated by the castle of the Guidi family, who once ruled the area. The seclusion of the forested and mountainous flanks of the Casentino fostered a strong monastic tradition, and the communities at Camáldoli and at La Verna continue to be important centres for their respective orders. The latter is the mountaintop retreat where St Francis received his stigmata, which is why it's one of Italy's major pilgrimage sites.

The best place to stay in these parts is Poppi's plain, homely and inexpensive three-star Casentino (00 39 0575 529 090, albergocasentino.it) with double rooms starting at €65 including breakfast. Monte Amiata, the highest point in southern Tuscany, is also delightful walking country, but for something more strenuous head to the north, where the Alpi Apuane offer a 60km spread of genuinely Alpine spectacle. Now a protected regional park, the Apuane are crisscrossed by numerous marked trails starting from roads and heading deep into the mountains; the biggest concentration of these tracks is in the peaks east of Forte dei Marmi and Pietrasanta, centred on Pania della Croce (1,859m) and Monte Forato (1,223m). Thanks to their position and height, the Apuane are a perfect combination of different ecological habitats, from tundra through Alpine meadow to Mediterranean grassland.

The most noticeable plant life is the immense forests of chestnut and beech, which cover virtually all the lower slopes and offer shelter to some of the mountains' 300 species of birds. Parallel to the Apuane ridge lies the Garfagnana, the name for the area encompassing the Serchio valley north of Lucca. This is one of Tuscany's least-explored yet most spectacular corners, and much of it is protected as a regional nature reserve, so there's a good range of signposted walks – the best are on the east of the Serchio valley, in the mountainous Orecchiella range. Base yourself in the ancient hill-town of Barga, at the three-star Alpino (Via Pascoli 41; 00 39 0583 723 336; bargaholiday.com ), where a double room will cost you less than €80 a night. Tuscan travel essentials Getting there By rail, the main approach is from London via Paris and Milan to Florence.

Florence's Amerigo Vespucci airport is served from the UK only by Meridiana (0871 222 9319; meridiana.it) from Gatwick. Plenty of UK airports have links to Pisa, with the most frequent services from Gatwick on British Airways (0844 493 0787; ba.com) and easyJet (0871 244 2366; easyJet.com), and from Stansted on Ryanair (0871 246 0000; ryanair.com). The airport is very close to the city centre, with a regular train link to Pisa Centrale station. Getting around Given the terrain, rail services are surprisingly good in Tuscany, with buses filling in many of the gaps. Many visitors choose to rent a car. If you decide to drive, be aware that many town and city centres are off-limits to motorists who are not registered as local residents; though if you have a booking at a central hotel, you can usually drive to it - many provide parking.

Take to the Piero Trail Arezzo, one hour's train ride from Florence, is another Tuscan city that doesn't depend too much on the tourist trade, although in recent years it has been making more of an effort to market itself as a holiday destination. The city's goldsmiths and antiques dealers underpin the finances of this solidly bourgeois city, but it offers more than its share of artistic delights, the chief treasure being the glorious fresco cycle by Piero della Francesca in the church of San Francesco. In addition, the steeply sloping Piazza Grande – focus of the vast monthly antiques fair – is one of Tuscany's most photogenic squares. Overlooking the Piazza Grande is one of the finest Romanesque structures in Tuscany, the 12th-century Pieve di Santa Maria, while the nearby church of San Domenico contains a superb crucifix by Cimabue, painted when the artist would have been just 20 years old.

Arezzo has a good range of restaurants, such as the homely Antica Osteria L'Agania, Via Mazzini 10 (00 39 0575 25 381), and a stylish new hotel – the four-star Vogue, at Via Guido Monaco 54, where doubles start at €165 including breakfast (00 39 0575 24 361; voguehotel.it). Having seen the San Francesco frescoes, you may want to strike east from Arezzo to the modest hill-town of Monterchi, where Piero della Francesca painted one of the most powerful images of the Renaissance, the pregnant Madonna del Parto. Other magnificent works by the same artist – notably his Resurrection – are to be seen in his birthplace, Sansepolcro, a short drive further east, almost on the Umbrian border.

The best place to stay here is the Fiorentino, a plain three-star, which has been in business at Via Luca Pacioli 56 since 1807 (00 39 0575 740 350; albergofiorentino.com); it has a good restaurant and doubles start at €65 without breakfast. Jonathan Buckley is co-author of the new 'Rough Guide to Florence and the Best of Tuscany' and 'The Rough Guide to Tuscany and Umbria'. For more details see roughguides.com Villas Tuscany | Tuscany Villas with Pools | Exclusive Stunning Tuscany Villas This property has been added to your Favourites. Click here to view the properties in your list. Our Villas in Tuscany Handpicked Tuscany Villas Our portfolio of villas in Tuscany ranges from quaint cottages to grand villas, all situated in personally recommended destinations that are guaranteed to be outstanding. Whether you are looking for a dream holiday in one of our traditional Tuscan villas, a fairytale experience in a gothic castle, or an intimate stay in a countryside cottage, we have an ideal property for you.

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On this site, you'll learn step-by-step: How to create the look you want for your home, using design tricks and shortcuts for easy, elegant interiors. How to tap into a treasure trove of European design inspiration and interior decorating styles: Tuscan , French , Scandinavian , Swiss , and other Country styles from the North Pole (well, almost) to the Mediterranean. How to use color to create the 'wow' factor; 7 simple tips to create a home that works for your lifestyle; How to achieve beautiful interior design results on a budget ; How to develop your own, 'signature' home decor style . And ... we'd love to see you show off your home remodel/makeover when you're done! Treatment Ideas So what about the "Dream" in Dream Home Decorating? Well, ever since I did my BA (Hons) in Design at the University of the Arts in London, I've seen over and over that it doesn't matter whether you're decorating a tiny apartment or a princely mansion. You can turn any home into your dream home ... If you're looking for something specific, try the search box in the top right corner.

You'll know right away if what you're looking for is on this site, and where to find it. ... as long as you know which design elements to focus on, and which ones to forget about. ♦ But how do you know what's essential and what isn't? ♦ Even more important, how do you know what you like - home decorating styles, colors, materials, patterns? That's where this site comes in. You'll find original pictures of distinct styles, how-to instructions, and a large section about choosing color schemes (I can't stress enough how important colors are!) Most of all, you'll find ... ... countless ways to give your home that unique, special touch. So, does size matter? Nope. On the contrary, great design usually happens when you drastically limit the options. Limitations are magic creativity boosters. (I'll show you how this works.) By the way, would you like to receive my bi-monthly eZine, Dream Home Decorating News ? It comes with a copy of Stylish Neutrals, a 26-page, richly illustrated FREE e-book.

(Check out the e-book here , and the newsletter here !) Also, if you have any interior decorating questions, or suggestions on new interior design topics for this site, please do feel free to contact me . I may not always be able to respond straight away, but you will get a reply. And now, let's turn your home into your Dream Home! Where would you like to start? Here are a few ideas: How To Use Color: Browse through Great Color Combinations to find the best ones for your home. Learn how to combine Interior Design Colors to create room color schemes that really work. Choosing Paint color can be daunting, but if you stick to a few rules, success is almost guaranteed! Check out the 'Overview' page about Room Color Schemes - almost everyone has the same questions about home decorating with color. And if you would like to ask your own Color Questions (either about Exterior or Interior color schemes), you're most welcome to do so! Home Decorating Styles: In Europe, we have a great variety of Interior Design Styles . We love mixing urban chic with Country Decorating Ideas and elegant, Old World decorating elements.

French Interior Design is a prime example of this; no one's ever surprised to find classy furniture and 'aristocratic' looking accessories in French Country Decorating ! Scandinavian interior design tends to mix sleek Contemporary home decor with authentic, raw country elements and a bit of Zen minimalism. Swiss and Italian Country decorating have an even more rustic feel. Tuscan Decorating is similar to French interior decor in that it's mostly done in humble materials and shapes, and yet you'll find lots of elegant Italian Renaissance art & design references in Tuscan homes! Kitchen Ideas: Small Kitchen Design is an art, particularly if you're remodeling your kitchen on a budget. You'll find plenty of inspiration for French Country kitchen design in these pages, as well as ideas to help you create the look of French country kitchens. Tuscan kitchen design is less known internationally (and often confused with French styles), but our readers have shared some lovely (and pretty authentic) Tuscan-style kitchen makeovers on this site - as well as several other great looking kitchen remodels. Bedroom Interior Decorating: Bedroom Interior Design can give you a soothing sanctuary, a seductive boudoir, a minimalist haven, the ultimate dream space - decorating choices are endless!

Even though you'll spend most of your hours here with eyes closed, you should use the effects of Bedroom Decorating Colors to develop a bedroom color scheme that looks & feels perfect for you. Get inspired by French Bedroom Design , especially the gorgeous mix of modern and rustic decor you'll find in many Provençal bedrooms. Or, create a traditional-looking Tuscan Style Bedroom for dreamy, authentic Mediterranean flavor. Generally, Country Style Bedroom Furniture will open a treasure trove of home decorating options, from rough-hewn to elegant handcrafted bedroom decorating pieces. Bathroom Interior Design: In the current trend towards smaller, more colorful bathrooms, the page about French Country Bathrooms shows a series of fanciful, fun and elegant spaces very unlike your average, white-on-white cleaning lab. And what's nice - the look is quite easy to copy! For more home decorating ideas, check out our readers' bathroom makeovers, an English one in turquoise & mint, and another with exuberant Mediterranean accents (2 parts). Living Room Decor: The Living Room Ideas on this site range all the way from rustic cabin interiors to buying tips for area rugs.

Of course, Country Style Living Room Furniture deserves a special mention here for its versatility and comfort, and there are special sections on French and Tuscan living rooms as well. Beyond furniture and accessories, Living Room Color Schemes can make or break a room - this topic is always worth your careful consideration. Color Theory Made Easy: The Color Wheel Chart is a much-used tool for picking decorating color combinations - learn what it can, and cannot, do. When you understand the basics of Color Psychology , you'll find it easier to choose the 'right' home decorating colors for your rooms. Window Treatment Ideas: European Window Treatment Ideas can be superbly colorful, with painted shutters and lavishly planted windowboxes. Exterior Window Treatments in Southern Europe are great for color scheme inspiration, even though most interior curtains, for example Tuscan Window Treatments , tend to be white. Whilst you're in this section, also check out Country Window Treatments in the Alps and - in an entirely different home decorating universe - gorgeous, sassy French Country Curtains . Before & After Home Makeovers From drab to fab: Many readers have sent in photos and stories of their makeover projects .

So get inspired by your fellow Dream Home Decorators' redecorating and remodeling ideas for living rooms , bedrooms , kitchens , and two bathrooms (so far - more to come :-) Christmas Decor, Crafts & Gifts The Christmas Decorating Ideas on this site are a totally crafty affair. (A number of them were featured in a recent book, The Ultimate Christmas, by HCI, publishers of the legendary Chicken Soup series). Create simple decorating items like Christmas tree crafts and table decorations, and try out some homemade gift ideas, too (including my Mom's scrumptious rum balls recipe). If you're not the crafting kind, you could always check out my GIFT SHOP for some personalized, monogrammed pressies! And for a dose of Christmas nostalgia, here's my account of Christmas Traditions in Germany - starting with home decorating in Advent, it covers all the things that can make Christmas a time of wonder and magic for children everywhere. Trends & Tips Frugal living and thrifty home decorating is the order of the day for many people right now. So you'll find a large collection of ideas and shortcuts to frugal home decorating in the section about Cheap Home Decor . Clutter is another big issue for almost everyone I know.

I've sketched out a Daily De-Clutter Routine that works really well and has garnered some rave reviews. Home decorating books - which ones really deliver more than pretty pictures and some fluffy copy? Check out my Interior Decorating Book list for suggestions. (Oh, and do get my Free E-Book about Neutral Color Schemes whilst you're at it.) Site Info Meet me on camera 3 ... but much more importantly, please read the Site Policies ! For a full table of contents, please visit the Site Map . And if you would like to contact me with any home decorating questions, here's my Letterbox ! New! Comments Tuscany: Where to base yourself in Tuscany - TripAdvisor Want the lowest hotel prices? You're in the right place. We check 200+ sites for you. Tuscany: Where to base yourself in Tuscany Review a place you’ve visited JOIN We'll send you updates with the latest deals, reviews and articles for Tuscany each week. Tuscany Traveler Article: Tuscany: Where to base yourself in Tuscany Save Article Comments (2) This has to be the most frequently asked question in the Tuscany forum.

There are a number of factors to be taken into consideration when choosing a base. The first one is to decide where you want to visit during your time in Tuscany . You need to buy a decent guide book and do some research on the region. You should then draw up a list of daytrips that you want to make. By looking at these locations on a map, a central location often becomes obvious. The next factor to consider is what method of transport you plan to use while you are in Tuscany . If you want to explore the countryside, it really is essential to hire a car, or if you are not comfortable driving, to organise a private driver for your daytrips. Bus links tend to be localised and although train travel in Italy is very good compared to many other countries, access to rural areas is limited. Many people like to visit one or more of Tuscany ’s beautiful hilltop towns and villages, but one should bear in mind that any train stations near them will be down in the valley, often several kilometres away, and so it will be necessary to catch a bus up to the town.

If you only want to visit major sights like Siena , Florence and Pisa , it might be worth saving yourself the cost of hiring a car and staying in a town or city with good transport links. One daytrip that is best made by public transport is Florence . Not only are there the usual problems of heavy traffic, one way systems and expensive, and sometimes elusive, parking, but central Florence also has a limited traffic zone (ZTL). Residents have permits allowing them to drive in the centre, so it is very easy for tourists to follow them into the limited zone without realising it. Cameras record the licenses of cars entering the zone and, if you do not have the appropriate permit, eventually a hefty fine will find its way to you, via the car hire firm. Therefore, it is advisable to catch a bus, train or the new metro line into Florence , even if it means driving and parking somewhere and then travelling on into the city by public transport. Be aware that Pisa, Lucca, Siena , Arezzo and many smaller towns and villages also have ZTL zones, but in these places it is easier to park outside the zone and walk or bus into the centre, than it is in Florence.

The next thing to think about is whether you want to stay in the countryside, the city, or a town or village. Countryside villas can sometimes be remote and are often located on unmade roads. Staying in a city can be a problem if you have a car, but if you don’t have one, has all the advantages of restaurants, shops, museums, churches etc. being on your doorstep and good access to public transport if you want to day-trip to another city or town. Many people want to try to get the best of both worlds and stay just outside a town, but within walking distance of its amenities. Properties like this can be hard to find and even if you do find one that seems close to town, you need to consider that there may not be street lighting to light your way home in the evening or the route may be steep and so quite a trial in the heat of summer with heavy shopping bags to carry! You also need to think about what kind of property you want to rent. There are a huge number of hotels, apartments and villas available in Tuscany .

Tripadvisor’s hotel reviews are a great help in selecting a hotel, and now also includes reviews for B&B's and holiday rentals, apartments, villas, etc. When choosing a villa or apartment, you can pay more and go through a agency (their cut is usually between 15% and 45%), or you can search through the various websites carrying adverts from the owners themselves (though these sites are being increasingly high-jacked by large commission-based agencies). There are obvious advantages to dealing directly with an owner, but it is a good idea to choose somewhere with reviews left by previous guests, or one that has advertised with the website for some time. That way you can feel happy that you are really going to get what the advert promises. Choosing an ' agriturismo' can be a nice halfway house, where you can get a shared pool, the company of other guests, sometimes the possibility of an evening meal, while staying in beautiful surroundings, but at a more reasonable price than a private villa or hotel. Be aware that these are usually working farms, with associated farm noises! Also there is a great variation in the facilities and quality of such accommodation, so do your homework before booking.

Finally, many people mention a desire to stay somewhere with ’typical’ Tuscan scenery. Actually the scenery varies quite a lot. In the far north, Tuscany is mountainous and heavily wooded. As you move south generally, the mountains give way to hills, the woods thin out and by the time you get to southern Tuscany you have the rolling landscape of fields and cypress trees that most people think of as the ‘typical’ Tuscan scene. The Chianti region is one of the best for vineyards, if that is the vista you desire, and then there is the often overlooked coastline too. Every area of Tuscany has something beautiful and unique to offer, so if you do your research in advance, you can’t really go wrong. Share your knowledge

Question: In which European country would you find Tuscany?
Answer: Italy